What is Magnetite-Driven Natural Hydrogen (Pilbara BIF)?

Natural hydrogen is hydrogen gas formed underground by natural processes rather than made in industry, but most of it cannot be extracted economically. Banded iron formations are ancient layered rocks of iron oxides and chert (a fine-grained silica rock), and Western Australia has some of the largest. This research result from Edith Cowan University shows that magnetite, an iron mineral in those rocks, can release hydrogen gas when it reacts with hot water under conditions like those deep underground. In lab tests, magnetite powder gave about five times more hydrogen than an intact slab, pointing to rock surface area as a key control. It was published in 2026 in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

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